Voracek and Simmonds are both right wingers, putting them on the same line makes no sense.

Simmonds has no discernible skills that would make him any less effective on the left. As it stands, he's not terribly effective 5v5 on the right side either.

I agree Voracek should not be moved from the right side because he's so effective in transition with his speed on his off wing, but I'm not sure why shifting Simmonds would be a bad idea if other roster moves necessitate it.

Simmonds has no discernible skills that would make him any less effective on the left. As it stands, he's not terribly effective 5v5 on the right side either.

I agree Voracek should not be moved from the right side because he's so effective in transition with his speed on his off wing, but I'm not sure why shifting Simmonds would be a bad idea if other roster moves necessitate it.

Sure, Simmonds may not be great at even strength but moving him to an unfamiliar position won't make that any better. I wouldn't do it.

Sure, Simmonds may not be great at even strength but moving him to an unfamiliar position won't make that any better. I wouldn't do it.

Like I said, there's no real reason to believe Simmonds wouldn't be equally comfortable on the left side, though. His skill set isn't enhanced by playing on one wing or the other (like Voracek's is on the right).

EDIT: Also, he has played the left side before. And he obviously plays it on the PP, too. So it's not exactly foreign for him.

Like I said, there's no real reason to believe Simmonds wouldn't be equally comfortable on the left side, though. His skill set isn't enhanced by playing on one wing or the other (like Voracek's is on the right).

Like I said, there's no real reason to believe Simmonds wouldn't be equally comfortable on the left side, though. His skill set isn't enhanced by playing on one wing or the other (like Voracek's is on the right).

EDIT: Also, he has played the left side before. And he obviously plays it on the PP, too. So it's not exactly foreign for him.

Do you realize how much tougher is is to place the off wing? Simmonds isn't skilled enough to do it.

He plays it on the PP? What when he's at the faceoff circle? He parks himself in front of the net and works behind the net.

Do you realize how much tougher is is to place the off wing? Simmonds isn't skilled enough to do it.

It's not necessarily tougher at all. In fact, some players skill sets are extremely conducive for success on the off wing. I don't see anything in Simmonds's repertoire that would suggest he would have more success on one wing or the other, though.

It's not necessarily tougher at all. In fact, some players skill sets are extremely conducive for success on the off wing. I don't see anything in Simmonds's repertoire that would suggest he would have more success on one wing or the other, though.

And I'll reiterate: he's played the left side before (yes, 5v5).

You have to work on your backhand a lot more. It's tougher to get a shot off. It's tougher to move the puck on the breakout. It's not as easy as saying, 'hey we have too many RWs go take a few shifts on the left side.'

You have to work on your backhand a lot more. It's tougher to get a shot off. It's tougher to move the puck on the breakout.

You're not necessarily on your backhand a lot more. When you have space, you can open up on your forehand. When you don't have space, you have easy access to make plays using the wall on your forehand. That also applies on the breakout.

And it's actually easier to get a quality shot off because you're shooting from the middle of the ice.

I've always been annoyed when people pigeon hole righties to the RW and lefties to the LW (eg, Adam Oates). That's not how it works. You don't have to be any more or less skilled to play one or the other. It just has to do with your particular skill set. With a guy like Voracek who thrives on puck protection, using his body, and using power moves to get the middle of the ice, the off wing is good. For a guy like Simmonds who really isn't particularly gifted in terms of pure skill, I truly don't believe his wing will make a difference.

And honestly, that may not even be true. His skill is driving the net. It's easier to drive the net and protect the puck from the off wing. If anything, my guess would be that it helps more than it hurts.

And it's actually easier to get a quality shot off because you're shooting from the middle of the ice.

...if you can get to the middle of the ice.

Your point is basically he doesn't do much on the right side so he couldn't be much worse on the left side. You don't know that. Just because he doesn't do much on the right side doesn't mean he wouldn't be a disaster on the left side. This team has a hard enough time getting the puck out of their zone and gaining entry into the offensive zone as it is. No reason to make things more difficult.

If you can find a top 6 winger with equal or less skill than Simmonds, playing his off side, please feel free to let me know. I can't think of one.

Berube isn't a coach afraid to play guys on their off wing. He plays Voracek, Read, Raffl, (and Rinaldo if you want to count him ). He doesn't play Simmonds there for good reason. Lavy didn't either.

I don't mean literally in the middle of the ice. I mean on the LW, his forehand is on the inside rather than on the side of the boards giving him a better angle at the net.

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Your point is basically he doesn't do much on the right side so he couldn't be much worse on the left side. You don't know that. Just because he doesn't do much on the right side doesn't mean he wouldn't be a disaster on the left side. This team has a hard enough time getting the puck out of their zone and gaining entry into the offensive zone as it is. No reason to make things more difficult.

Not really. I'm not saying he wouldn't be any better or worse. I'm just saying he has no particularly strong skills that make him more suitable for one side or the other.

I also don't see it making things any more difficult. Like I said, I don't buy that it is any "easier" for a rightie on the RW.

I'm not saying it should be done. I'm just saying if other lineup decisions necessitate the move, it's not doomed for failure.

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If you can find a top 6 winger with equal or less skill than Simmonds, playing his off side, please feel free to let me know. I can't think of one.

Simmonds is quite a unique top six winger. I know it sounds like a cop out, but I truly don't believe there are any top six wingers with his particular skill set. Any comparison would be rough at best. Top six wingers are almost, by definition, more skilled than Simmonds is.

Hopefully a good showing this tournament can give him some confidence heading into camp this summer. He needs a bounce back year next year after a disappointing one last year.

Not sure how it will affect his career, but he did have a really goo tournament.
+/- isn't the most telling stat, but there is a reason why he is one of only two German players with a + rating.

He was at the tournament last year but saw very little ice time and looked out of place at times. This year he was so much better and his line turned into the first line over the course of the tournament and he was a big part of that. Good on the forecheck, strong along the boards. Very good two-way-game.
Whether that will everbe good enough for the NHL, we'll have to wait and see, but after his disappointing season in Adirondack I was pleasantly surprised to see him play so well.

Not sure how it will affect his career, but he did have a really goo tournament.
+/- isn't the most telling stat, but there is a reason why he is one of only two German players with a + rating.

He was at the tournament last year but saw very little ice time and looked out of place at times. This year he was so much better and his line turned into the first line over the course of the tournament and he was a big part of that. Good on the forecheck, strong along the boards. Very good two-way-game.
Whether that will everbe good enough for the NHL, we'll have to wait and see, but after his disappointing season in Adirondack I was pleasantly surprised to see him play so well.

Yeah I had him pegged as a potential dark horse for some call-up time this past season going into the year. The Flyers really didn't have many injuries this year anyway but he was pretty disappointing down on the farm so it wouldn't have matter if there was or wasn't because he likely wasn't getting a call.

He's found himself buried on the depth chart coming into camp this season. He's likely behind Akeson, McGinn, Cousins, Straka, & Alderson now so he's going to need a bounce back camp & season this year to likely get himself back in the graces with the Flyers brass.